


Arriving to Find that You're Already Here

by spuffyduds



Category: due South
Genre: First Kiss, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-02
Updated: 2011-11-02
Packaged: 2017-10-25 15:46:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/272008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spuffyduds/pseuds/spuffyduds





	Arriving to Find that You're Already Here

Vecchio leans into Ray’s fridge and grabs a beer—geez, he doesn’t even ask anymore—and pops the top off with the opener Ray’s got nailed to the wall.

“Jesus, make yourself at home, Vecchio,” Ray says.

“Thanks, I will,” Vecchio says, and grins. “You got any chips?”

Ray grouses a little, but he gets the chips out of the cabinet. The grousing trails off when he turns around and sees Vecchio rummaging through another cabinet for the salsa. Vecchio’s wearing one of those tight turtlenecks he’s been into lately. Not a good look for Ray, on account of it somehow makes him look like his mom dressed him for kindergarten, but on Vecchio it really shows off all that arm work he’s been doing at the gym. Standard divorced-guy getting-back-on-the-market behavior, Ray figures, but fuck, the results are _distracting_.

Ray clears his throat, grabs a couple of bowls and follows Vecchio into the living room. He gets the snacks set up while Vecchio studies the TV Guide. Ray rolls his eyes; Vecchio’s never content with the standard guy maneuver of “turn on the TV and flip around looking for whatever sports happen to be on.” Vecchio has to have a _plan_.

“You want some notecards for the scheduling?” Ray says. “A highlighter, maybe?”

“Ha ha,” Vecchio says, and drops onto the couch, digs into the chips. He looks up and says, “Hey, I haven’t heard from Benny in a couple weeks, you?”

Ray plops down beside him and gets his feet on the coffee table. “Yeah, got a letter a couple days ago. He’s talking about whatsername a lot, the past couple months. That girl he knew when they were kids, somebody’s sister? April? I think maybe they’re getting something going.”

“June,” Vecchio says. “And yeah, I think you’re right.” He looks down at the Guide again and says softly, “You okay with that?”

Ray gasps in a breath and just--freezes. He can’t seem to manage to breathe out, and the wall clock is suddenly really loud, and the drip in the kitchen sink that he keeps meaning to fix is too, and the traffic outside, and--just suddenly the whole world is screaming at him, and Vecchio’s not looking at him but Vecchio fucking _knows_ , how did he know?

Ray’s chest starts to hurt and he whooshes out an exhale, finally, and all of him starts working again; he sets his beer down on the table, carefully, and sits back carefully, and carefully says, “Yeah, sure, happy for him. Uh. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“That’s nice,” Vecchio says, “but don’t give me any bullshit,” and he curls a warm hand around the back of Ray’s neck, like he just _gets to do that_ , like he’s getting a beer out of Ray’s goddamn fridge, and then he kisses Ray.

It’s a long slow kiss, not pushy but obviously really fucking _interested_ , and he’s got his hand cupped tight and hot around Ray’s neck and his thumb moving softly in Ray’s hair, and oh god Ray hadn’t realized how much he was waiting for this, _wanting_ this, and he doesn’t _want_ to want it.

Vecchio stops and pulls back, looks at him. And Ray almost blurts out, “Jesus, you’ve got pretty eyes,” but manages not to, manages to force out, “Hey, no, I don’t--well, okay, I swing that way a little, maybe, just a tiny bit, all right, but I’m not--“

Vecchio closes his eyes for a second, then says, “Right,” quietly, and stands up. “Listen, I’ll head out, see you at work Monday?” he says. “Just--forget that happened, I made a bad call, sorry.”

He starts to turn, and Ray suddenly is completely sick of himself. Sick of being a coward, and he reaches out, grabs Vecchio by the wrist. Vecchio looks away and keeps heading for the door, and Ray lets that pull him off the couch, onto his knees. He tugs at Vecchio’s wrist hard, pulls him back, and before he can think too much about it he leans forward, gets his face against the front of Vecchio’s pants, just kind of--nuzzles.

Vecchio makes a little high-pitched noise, and then he’s obviously trying for calm but his voice is still funky when he says, “Take it you changed your mind?”

“Yeah,” Ray says against his crotch. He breathes out slow and hot. Vecchio whimpers again and rocks his hips, and Ray grins.

“You sure, Kowalski?” Vecchio says, and Ray keeps his face where he is, can’t quite deal with looking Vecchio in the eyes, yet, but he moves his hand from Vecchio’s wrist, slides it down to twine their fingers together.

“Yeah,” he says again. “Yeah. Don’t go anywhere.”

“Not stupid,” Vecchio says, and squeezes his hand.

\--end--


End file.
